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Marco Rubio – Old Wine in New Bottles (5 Reasons)

Marco Rubio may have a fresh face and uplifting tone, but his ideas are as stale as two week old French bread. I do recognize his genuine efforts to focus on the positive and avoid mudslinging. Therefore, I have no intention of attacking his character. However, I find his policy agenda so abhorrent that I will show no restraint in attacking his ideas. Despite Rubio’s youth, positive tone, and handsome face; he is simply a repackaging of tired, Bush era GOP policies – he is old wine in new bottles. Here are five examples of recycled GOP policies:

5. Rubio supports Oil Subsidies. Years ago, there was a debate over possibly ending the $4 billion a year our government uses to subsidize big oil companies. Only two principled Republicans voted to end this corporate welfare, Rubio was not one of them.* I sent Rubio a letter requesting that he support an end to this corporate welfare. He responded with a lengthy letter. Maybe two sentences explained that he would not end oil subsidies due to rising gas costs, and then nearly two pages were devoted to Obama bashing. Sorry Rubio, bashing Obama doesn’t make you a conservative, nor erase your big government agenda.

4. Inconsistent on Medicare funding, consistent on partisanship. Like most Senate Republicans, Rubio denounces Obamacare because it cuts Medicare funding, yet supports the Ryan plan that practically has the same effect. So in other words, it’s not a “cut” when Republicans do it. We really do need to control the costs of Medicare, and both parties seem to realize that. I just wish they’d work together instead of slinging mud over a policy that is controversial, yet they both agree upon.

3. Civil liberties take a back seat to “national security”. Rubio was one off the staunchest supporters of the NDAA of 2012, which allowed the Executive branch (that is, Obama and Eric Holder) to arrest and indefinitely detain those they regard as terrorists, or associates thereof; without a trial. Rubio attempts to defend himself here, but if you read the bill (Sec. 1021 on p. 265 if you follow the link), you’ll see that it could allow far more than Rubio claims. This appalling disregard for our Bill of Rights was bad enough. His fellow Senator from Florida, Bill Nelson, at least attempted to amend the NDAA of 2012, by placing a time limit on said detention, but Rubio opposed that also. Rubio is a supporter of this, the (un)Patriot Act, and all such post-9/11 efforts to use fear to erode our civil liberties.

2. Supports special tax breaks for Wall Street. Like most establishment Republicans, Rubio sings Reagan’s praises while supporting a tax plan that goes against the very principle of Reagan’s tax reforms. In 1986, Reagan passed a brilliant tax reform package that forced Wall Street to pay the same tax rate as everyone else by making the so-called “Capital Gains” tax rate (the special rate for Wall Street) the same as the regular income tax rate. Rubio, however, like most Republicans, including the flagrant hypocrite Rush Limbaugh (Hey, I didn’t say I wouldn’t attack Limbaugh’s character), claims that “Capital Gains” taxes are a “double tax” and should be eliminated. In other words, if you work for your money, you pay taxes under Rubio’s plan, but if you make your money on “capital gains”, such as in the Stock Market, you pay no taxes. Currently, Wall Street pays a marginal rate of 20% (before exemptions) while regular income earners at the highest bracket pay 39% (also before exemptions). This is what constitutes fairness in GOPonomics. What? Are you jealous of Wall Street’s success? But they’re the job creators!

1. Rubio is just another neocon too willing to start more wars. Like Bush, like Chaney, McCain, Graham, etc. Marco Rubio thinks frequent meddling in other countries is good for them and for us. He is in denial about the failure in Iraq as you can see here, he supported arming the rebels in Syria, which is partly responsible for the emergence of ISIS, he seems to think we should now be fighting ISIS while poking Iran at the same time, even though Iran is doing a better job of combating ISIS than we are. If Rubio were to become president, we’d just have more expensive, destabilizing wars; often creating more problems than we solve. If we’d never invaded Iraq in the first place, if we’d stayed out of Syria, we’d have caught bin Laden long ago and there’d be no ISIS.

Rick Perry has claimed, for example, that we could have stopped ISIS if only we had done more to stop Asaad. HELLO?! Asaad is fighting AGAINST ISIS! Rubio would never say something so stupid, yet his policies are the same. However, Rubio is able to inspire without making a fool of himself….and that is why he is dangerous. If they were all like Rick Perry and Sarah Palin, we’d be better off. But Rubio is actually taken seriously.

As my followers know, I’m a Paul supporter. And it’s not like I agree with him on everything (He unfortunately also opposed ending oil subsidies). But looking at the big picture, Rand Paul brings fresh ideas both to the Republicans and to libertarians. Mostly important, he brings fresh ideas to the country as a whole. Rubio, however, is just more of the same in a handsome young package – he is old wine in new bottles.

*On this, I’d like to express my gratitude for Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe for putting principles before party on the oil subsidies issue.